Archived News: 2016: Fall

August 4, 2016

Want to be a national champion?

Georgia Tech Crew is recruiting for its 2016-17 season. We are seeking tall, strong athletes along with smaller athletes (around 125lbs) for coxswains. With over 80 rowers and over 50 national championship medals, Georgia Tech Crew is one of the largest and most successful organizations on campus.

No experience is necessary! In fact over 90% of our team had never touched an oar prior to joining. You can go from complete beginner to national champion in just a year, and even a few future national team rowers have taken their first strokes with us. While many successful rowers competed in sports such as swimming, cross country, and soccer in high school, our team members have come from varied backgrounds and succeeded at the highest level.

First year rowers will compete against other first years rowers from teams like Michigan, Clemson, and Georgia. We travel across the country to compete including Boston, Philadelphia, Florida, and San Diego. Despite competing at a high level, over 80% of the team majors in engineering, with several team members named in the ACRA All-Academic team each year.

To find out how to join, attend one of our Meetings for the Curious. You will hear from the coaches, meet your future teammates, and learn what rowing is all about. The meetings will be held at 5PM in the Campus Recreation Center (CRC) in Room 251. The meeting dates are as follows:

Tuesday, August 23Thursday, August 25Monday, August 29Wednesday, August 31

September 12, 2016

Fall Preview

Tech is set to kick off its 2016-2017 season with one of its largest teams in years. Almost seventy varsity rowers return for the season, joined by over seventy novices. Tech looks to build on its 2015-2016 season which saw the team earn medals at SIRA, Dad Vails, and ACRA.

Tech starts off the fall season in Chattanooga, TN at the Chattanooga Head Race, which will mark the first racing action for our novice squads. Tech will look to defend the college points trophy against strong teams such as the University of Alabama (NCAA), georgia, and Clemson. Last year, Tech medaled in events such as the Men’s College 8, Women’s College 4, and the Novice Men’s 8.

Select varsity members will then travel to Boston, MA for the largest two-day regatta in the world, the Head of the Charles. Tech has secured entries for a collegiate eight, collegiate four, and lightweight four for the men and a collegiate eight, collegiate four, and a lightweight eight for the women, making this one of Tech’s largest squads ever sent to the historic race.

The entire team returns to action in November in Chattanooga, TN at the Head of the Hooch, the largest regatta in the South. Tech will compete with varsity programs such as Oklahoma City, Clemson women, and FIT for the team points trophy, last won by Tech in 2008. The team finished in fifth place in 2015 (first college club overall), earning medals in events such as the Men’s College 8, Men’s Championship 4, and Men’s Novice 8.

To finish off the fall season, the team travels to Augusta, GA for the Head of the South to face familiar rivals such as Clemson, georgia, and Emory. Tech will look to take home its third team points trophy in a row. Last year, Tech earned 20 medals, including the Men’s Championship 8, Women’s Championship 8, and the Men’s Novice 8. The Head of the South always marks an end to a exciting fall racing season before the team heads indoors for winter training.

10/8 – Chattanooga Head Race, Chattanooga, TN
10/22-23 – Head of the Charles, Boston, MA
11/5-6 – Head of the Hooch, Chattanooga, TN
11/12 – Head of the South, Augusta, GA

October 8, 2016

Chattanooga Head Race

On Saturday, October 9, Georgia Tech Crew raced in Chattanooga, TN at the Chattanooga Head Race. The race was held on the Tennessee River and was run head race style. Conditions were windy and choppy, and the course was shortened to approximately 2500m.

Racing began at 9AM with the Women’s College 8+. Tech’s “A” boat placed third overall, while the “C” entry and lightweights placed eleventh and thirteenth respectively. The varsity women continued their day with a second place finish for Thomas/Heyerdahl in the women’s collegiate pair event and a fourth place finish for Stacks/Bonin. Next up was the Women’s Collegiate Lightweight 4+, where Tech took first and third place. The varsity women wrapped up their day with the Collegiate 4+ event, where Tech’s “A” entry earned the silver medal. Tech’s “B”, “C”, and “D” entries took sixteenth, twelfth, and fourteen.

The varsity men started their morning with the Collegiate 4+, which saw them win first and second place. The freshmen varsity men raced with the novice men to win the men’s Collegiate Novice 4+ event. They continued their success into the Collegiate Lightweight 4+ event, where they swept first, second, and third place overall. Tech’s varsity men and women combined just before the lunch break to take second place in the Mixed Eight. The Men’s Collegiate Pairs event was won by Preihs/Gloyd, with a fourth place finish for Brady/Liu. The varsity men concluded the regatta with the Men’s Collegiate 8+ event, where Tech’s “A” entry won gold, with the “B” and “C” entries taking second and seventh.

In their first racing action, the novice men took third place in the Men’s Collegiate True Novice 4+ race. They continued their success with a bronze medal finish in the Men’s Collegiate Second Novice 8+, with fifth and seventh place finishes for the “B” and “C” entries. In the Collegiate Novice 8+ race, the novice men placed fifth, eighth, and thirteenth.

The novice women started off with the Women’s Second Novice 8+ event, where Tech placed second. They continued the day with the Collegiate Novice 4+ where the Tech boat placed eighth. Later, Tech’s True Collegiate Novice 4+ won gold. The novice women finished the day with a sixth and tenth place finish in the Collegiate Novice 8+ race.

Tech was awarded the Collegiate Points Trophy with 754 points over rivals Clemson and the University of Alabama (NCAA).

Georgia Tech Crew will send select varsity members to Boston, MA for the Head of the Charles on October 22-23. The entire team will return to action on November 5 in Chattanooga, TN for the Head of the Hooch.

October 23, 2016

Head of the Charles

On Sunday, October 23, 2016, select varsity boats raced at the famous Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, MA. The race is held on the Charles River, starting at the Boston University boathouse and ending shy of the Northeastern University boathouse. The 4.8km/3mi race passes through six famous bridges such as Eliot, Anderson, and Weeks and along historic boathouses such as Harvard University and Cambridge Boat Club. Conditions for the races were chilly, with temperatures in the 40’s, winds of 20-30mph and gusts of up to 40mph.

Tech’s first racing action was on Sunday afternoon with the Men’s Collegiate Four. Despite a bright start for the crew, a collision with Fordham through Eliot Bridge dropped Tech down to twenty-fourth place in a field of forty five boats, narrowly missing a guaranteed slot in next year’s regatta. The Women’s Collegiate Four, plagued by injuries, rallied to finish in thirty-second place in an unfamiliar line-up.

The lightweights were up next for Tech, beginning with the Lightweight Men’s Four. In a field that included NYAC, Yale, and Colombia, Tech managed a fourteenth place finish. The Lightweight Women’s Eight event included top crews such as Harvard, BU, and MIT. Tech managed a ninth place finish.

Finishing up the historic regatta was the Collegiate Eights events. The varsity men guaranteed their 2017 Head of the Charles entry with a fifteenth place finish in a field of thirty seven boats. After a collision with Vermont, the varsity women just missed out on a guaranteed entry of their own, with a twentieth place finish in a field of twenty eight boats.

The full team will return to action on November 5th in Chattanooga, TN for the largest regatta in the South, the Head of the Hooch. Tech will finish the fall head racing season in Augusta, GA at the Head of the South on November 12th.

November 8, 2016

Head of the Hooch

On Saturday, November 5 and Sunday, November 6, 2016, Georgia Tech raced at the largest 2-day regatta in the South, the Head of the Hooch. The race was held over a five kilometer course on the Tennessee River, ending just in front of the grandstands in downtown Chattanooga, TN. The weather was warm throughout the weekend at around 70 degrees, with a mild headwind at the start and a tailwind in the final stretch of the course.

The novice men kicked off the regatta for Tech on Saturday at 9:08AM with their eights race. Tech’s “A” boat placed 8th overall, with 20th, 31st, and 33rd place finishes for Tech’s “B”, “C”, and “D” entries. The novice women kicked off their day with an entry in the College and Club Lightweight Eight race, where they placed second. The novice women entered two boats in the College and Club Novice Eight race in the afternoon. They fought hard to 27th and 34th pace finishes.

The varsity men began their Saturday with the College and Club Fours, which they won by almost twenty seconds over Texas. Tech’s “B” entry placed fourth. Soon after, Tech’s lightweight four placed second in their race. The men’s Championship Eights were raced midday, and Tech placed fourth, missing third by just three seconds. The varsity men continued their day with success in the College and Club Eights, where Tech placed second to Texas by an excruciatingly close .2 seconds. Tech’s “B” entry finished 17th. To wrap up the day, Tech placed second in the always competitive Championship Fours race to FIT, with the “B” entry finishing 11th. On Sunday, Tech won first and second place in the Men’s Open Pairs event.

The varsity women began their Saturday with a bang, winning the College and Club Eights race. The “B” entry placed 19th. The lightweight eight continued the streak with a gold medal finish in the Lightweight Eights race. Tech then finished in second place in the College and Club 4+, along with 26th and 36th place finishes for the “B” and “C” entries. Tech’s lightweight four finished seventh to wrap up Saturday. On Sunday, the varsity women placed fourth and fifth in the Women’s Open Pairs event.

Tech was awarded the College and ACC Team Point Trophies for a highly successful weekend at the Head of the Hooch, beating out varsity and NCAA teams alike. The team will finish the season off at the Head of the South in Augusta, GA on November 12, 2016.

November 14, 2016

Head of the South

On Saturday, November 12, 2016, Georgia Tech raced at the Head of the South regatta in Augusta, GA. The race was held over 5km on the Savannah River, which marks the border between Georgia and South Carolina. The weather was sunny and slightly crisp, with moderate winds throughout the course.

The varsity women began the day for Tech in the sculling events. Tech took second and third place in the Championship Single and second place in the Lightweight Single. Next up, the second and third eights raced in the Club Eight event. The second eight had the chance to race in a Vespoli demo boat, which saw them to a fifth place finish, while the third eight managed an eighth place finish. Midday, the women raced boats in the Championship Four event, which saw them earn first and second place. Two more fours placed tenth and sixteenth in the Club Four event, and the Lightweight Four and the Club Pair both earned silver in their races. To wrap up a successful day and season of racing, the varsity eight won first place in the Championship Eight event, with the second eight placing sixth.

The novice women began their day off with a gold medal finish in the Freshman Novice Eight race and a thirteenth place finish in the Collegiate and Club Novice Eight race. Racing in a predominantly varsity event, the novice women finished fourth in the Lightweight Four race in the afternoon. The novices finished up their regatta with two entries in the Collegiate and Club Novice Four race, where they placed eighth and fifteenth.

In the Club Four event, the varsity men began their day with second and eleventh place finishes. The Lightweight Four followed them with a gold medal finish in their race. They did not have to wait long for another gold medal because the Tech’s Club Pair won soon after. The men continued their day with the Championship Four race, where they placed second and fourth in a tight field. The men then managed second place in the Club Eight race, while the Lightweight Eight won gold in their race. Wrapping up their day and season with a bang, the varsity men won gold and bronze in the Championship Eight race.

The novice men kicked off their day with two entries in the Collegiate and Club Novice Four event, placing seventh and eleventh. They raced again in a varsity race, the Club Eight race. Tech’s three novice entries placed tenth, twelfth, and sixteenth, a fine showing against much more experienced crews. To finish their day, the novice men raced in the Collegiate and Club Novice Eight race, where they placed sixth, ninth, tenth, and sixteenth.

Tech secured the Collegiate Team Point Trophy once again by winning seven events and earning seven silver medals. This wraps up a successful fall season of racing for Tech which saw Team Point trophies won at Chattanooga Head Race, Head of the Hooch, and Head of the South. The team will now head indoors for winter training, three months of training on the ergometers to prepare for the competitive spring racing season. Tech’s next action is set to be at the Atlanta Erg Sprints at our very own Campus Recreation Center.